South Africa: Current education expenditure, tertiary (% of total expenditure in tertiary public institutions)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, South Africa's current education expenditure, tertiary (% of total expenditure in tertiary public institutions) rose 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 100% to 100%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2023), the average change was +0.46 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.06 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.95 percentage points in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2017 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.88 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, South Africa had the 2nd highest value of the 10 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to South Africa in the 2024 ranking

• Jamaica — 1st of 10: 100%
• Guatemala — 3rd of 10: 99.49%
• El Salvador — 4th of 10: 99.31%
• Bolivia — 5th of 10: 94.47%

What this measures

Current expenditure is expressed as a percentage of direct expenditure in public educational institutions (instructional and non-instructional) of the specified level of education. Financial aid to students and other transfers are excluded from direct expenditure. Current expenditure is consumed within the current year and would have to be renewed if needed in the following year. It includes staff compensation and current expenditure other than for staff compensation (ex. on teaching materials, ancillary services and administration).

Limitations: The indicator depends on comprehensive and accurate data regarding government expenditure by type and nature of spending. In some cases, data on total government expenditure on education only includes the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries that may also allocate part of their budget to educational services.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 17 values

Current education expenditure, tertiary (% of total expenditure in tertiary public institutions) in nearby economies

• Benin — 90.04% (2015)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 79.75% (2024)
• Guinea — 98.62% (2020)
• Madagascar — 95.21% (2017)
• Mali — 90.24% (2021)
• Niger — 96.72% (2018)
• Rwanda — 79% (2024)
• Senegal

More education data for South Africa

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 7.52 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.77% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.21% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 104.32% (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) — 19.14% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is South Africa's current education expenditure, tertiary (% of total expenditure in tertiary public institutions)?

100% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 1.55 percentage points from 98.45% in 2001. The highest value was 100% in 2014 and the lowest 94.85% in 2017.

How does South Africa rank?

2nd highest of 10 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in current education expenditure, tertiary (% of total expenditure in tertiary public institutions) unusual for South Africa?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.CTER.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.